Red RC

December 10, 2023

Orlowski is finally a World Champion

He has been a heavy weight in electric onroad and offroad for the last decade but today was the day he finally took the sport’s biggest prize, Michal Orlowski is the 2023 IFMAR 1:12 World Champion. Having secured the overall TQ at the previous edition of the sports oldest World Championship category but missing out on the win to Marc Rheinard, today the Schumacher switched the 2020 order taking victory at Beachline Raceway ahead of Rheinard and 2018 World Champion Alexander Hagberg. With Top Qualifier Kemp Anderson winning A1, ahead of Rheinard and Orlowski, a win in A2 by the Polish ace set the stage for an A3 title showdown. With a highly anticipating crowd looking on having experienced some mental defying display of racing skills in the first two A-Mains, A3 was to start with a bang literally. On the tone Anderson’s car didn’t leave the line and starting directly behind Rheinard a huge impact in the rear of the stricken car. The race effectively decided on the spot as No.2 starter Orlowski was able to break clear followed by Hagberg who did have the pace to mount a challenge for the lead. While Rheinard tried to continue his car was badly tweaked and he eventually pulled up. Unfortunately for Anderson, despite showing his massive talents in qualifying and A1, the A3 DNF together with his A2 DNF meant he goes into the IFMAR history books as the 6th place finisher.

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December 9, 2023

Orlowski gets elbows out for A2 win

It is all going to come down to A3 at the 1:12 World Championship in Florida, with Michal Orlowski taking the win ahead of defending Champion Marc Rheinard. Having won A1 with a flawless race, Kemp Anderson came crashing back to earth in A2 when he ran wide on the opening lap resulting in contact with Orlowski. With Anderson coming off worst, finding himself at the back of the field, the contact delayed Orlowski enough for Rheinard to go to the front. Quickly gapping the rest of the field, the European pairing held station until the race reached mid distance and Orlowski got his elbows forcing an impressive pass on his great track rival but good friend off track. Then with a minute to go, Rheinard mounted a challenge to take back the lead but looking to set-up a last lap pass he would get to much kerb causing the back of his Awesomatix to step out and allow Orlowski to breath again and take the win with a faster time than that set in A1. With Anderson eventually retiring from the race having buried his car under the track boards as he tried to make a comeback, 2018 World Champion Alexander Hagberg completed the Top 3 over 8-seconds back with Donny Lia fourth.

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December 9, 2023

Kemp sees off late Rheinard attack to win A1

Kemp Anderson held off an intense late attack from Marc Rheinard to win the opening A-Main of the IFMAR 1:12 World Championship in Florida. Starting from the pole, Andersson would initially gap the field as second place starter Michal Orlowski was occupied with trying to keep a hard charging Rheinard at bay, the pair swapping paint but holding order. Approaching the mid point of the 8-minute Orlowski would find his rhythm, the Schumacher driver closing Anderson’s over 1-second gap down to nothing. Coming on to the straight, the Polish ace would make a pass for the lead on the inside of the Awesomatix driver but his car shot to the outside and he hit the boards. With a tweaked car he was then passed by Rheinard. Having survived the Orlowski challenge, now Anderson was ready for a second attack on his lead this time from the reigning World Champion. The German was all over and even got in under his team-mates car but in a display of why he is a 5-time World Champion was able to back out of it quick enough that they both continued with minimal disruption. While Rheinard would make a second attempt at taking the lead, Anderson kept his nerve to take a popular win, while 5-seconds back Orlowski completed the Top 3 some 7-seconds ahead of Alexander Hagberg in P4.

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December 9, 2023

Bittydesign Mini-Z 1:28 bodies

Bittydesign has announced three new bodies designed to offer Mini-Z enthusiasts a wider choice according to their preferred style: Supercar, Touring and FWD. The Italian manufacturer has scaled down their three best-performing 1:10 bodies by adapting the proportions in order to allow perfect installation on 1:28 scale chassis. The three body styles meet every need: for maximum performance the ARES-1 is the best choice, for a touring there is the Eptron and for a real front-wheel-drive race car look with enlarged ‘TCR’ style wider fenders there is the CA45. Made with high quality 0.8mm polycarbonate, the bodies are universal and fit all 1:28 scale chassis with 98mm wheelbase. Sold clear with protective film outside and a pre-cut decal sheet and window masks, the kit includes a set of screw/nuts/washers to fix the rear wing.

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December 9, 2023

Anderson is 1:12 Worlds Top Qualifier

After a thrilling final qualifier at the IFMAR 1:12 World Championship in Florida, Awesomatix’ Kemp Anderson is the overall Top Qualifier for the 21st running of the sport’s longest running electric category. Having kicked off Day 2 of qualifying at Beachline Raceway with a TQ run in Round 4, Anderson would go into the sixth round vying for pole position against racing heavy weights Marc Rheinard and Michal Orlowski. Top Qualifier at the last World Championship, Orlowski’s quest to repeat that result came to a spectacular end after just one lap as he wheelied his Schumacher, the impact breaking a body hanger. Now it was just Anderson and defending World Champion Rheinard in the shoot out. With two TQ runs to his credit, a third TQ run would give Rheinard the top spot. Anderson on the other hand needed to TQ in a new fastest time. A small mistake by Rheinard meant the German had to push hard to get back on terms with the rapid Anderson but that would lead to a much bigger crash that ended his challenge. While rivals were no longer a worry, Anderson knew he was now against the clock needing a new fastest TQ time. While the pressure was enough for his father and newly elected IFMAR President Eric Anderson to stay in the pits, the rest of the those attending the event lined up around the track. Despite the intensity of the biggest moment of his racing career, Anderson delivered with a time 2.5-seconds quicker than the previous best set by Orlowski securing a very popular home TQ for the host nation. With all three drivers having two TQ runs each, overall it will be Orlowski who starts second with Rheinard lining up P3 ahead of Alexander Hagberg with Donny Lia competing the top half of the grid.

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December 8, 2023

JConcepts Mirage WSE SS, ’93 Worlds Special edition scoop body

New from JConcepts is the Mirage WSE SS 1993 Worlds Special edition scoop RC10 body. During the 1993 IFMAR World Championships, Brian Kinwald emerged victorious with a slightly modified version of the tried-and-true Mirage SS body shell for the RC10. According to IFMAR rules, it was illegal to cut or vent bodies without a proper shape, scribed area, or scoop inlet for such. Just for the event, a special shell was created with a scoop on the speed control side, so team racers could add vent holes or cut-outs. JConcepts has resurrected this world special edition body (WSE) and is now available to complete those signature builds. The Mirage WSE is the quintessential RC10 body, the stance, the lines, the flow, all represent a generation of racers who could trim, mount, and stylise a vehicle on their own. The shell arrives with no scribed cutlines or body mount holes. This gives the builder the opportunity to trim to the project image that is in mind. In this generation, you could mount the body high, with smaller window outlines, or drop to a race height with larger windows for the most slammed look on the track. The body arrives clear in .030” thickness polycarbonate material and includes window mask for both the small, and large windows to tailor the look to individual needs.

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December 8, 2023

Orlowski takes penultimate qualifier at 1:12 Worlds

The overall Top Qualifier at the 21st running of the IFMAR 1:12 World Championship is to be decided in the final round after Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski took the penultimate round. After crashing out of Q4 this morning, the 2020 Top Qualifier redeemed himself by putting down the fastest run of the event finishing ahead of Q4 winner Kemp Anderson by 1.6 second. A starting order error, drivers called to start based on the results of Q4 instead of the overall qualification ranking, would see Anderson lead away the heat and the American, laying down the fastest lap, looked for a time that he might repeat his previous effort. It wasn’t to happen however as entering into the final quarter of the run his pace faded considerably. Having started from the back after his DNF, Orlowski took advantage to move to the top of the timing screen to take a TQ run that puts him in contention for pole position for tomorrow’s title deciding finals. The only driver who could have wrapped up the overall TQ early, defending Champion Marc Rheinard could claim he fell foul of the starting order error as he had contact with Hayato Ishioka and needed to be marshalled having just passed the Japanese driver. In the end he Rheinard would recover to P4 over 3-seconds off 2018 Champion Alexander Hagberg.

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December 8, 2023

Sweep Orbit 1:10 4WD front tyre

Another new tyre release from Sweep Racing is their 1:10 4WD Orbit front tyre which has been developed for hard packed or oily dirt track conditions. Featuring a unique tread pattern that provides maximum forward bite and an easy drive, the new Orbit 4WD front tyre is available in a new ultra soft (GM) compound as well as super soft (YM), soft (SM), medium (BM) which provide less ballooning and increases lifespan.

Source: Sweep Racing [sweepracing.com]